Apologies for the late notice. The Brooklyn Heights Association is sponsoring a forum for candidates for the office of New York City’s Public Advocate this evening, Tuesday, December 18, at the First Unitarian Church, Pierrepont Street and Monroe Place. According to the BHA, “[d]oors will open at 6:30pm and the discussion will begin at 7pm. Because the organizers are expecting seventeen candidates to be present and the meeting has a two hour limit, there will be not be any opportunity to have questions from the audience.”

Ambient Church, “a nomadic experiential event series dedicated to working with artists to bring new ecologies to architecturally unique spaces through transcendent audio and visual performance”, will, in conjunction with the indie record label Kranky, present a concert at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, Clinton and Montague streets, this Saturday evening, December 15, starting at 7:45. The program will feature the Brooklyn based group Forma (image), along with others. There’s more information and buy tickets here.

This Saturday afternoon, December 15 at 2:00 (seating begins at 1:30), at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Brooklyn Heights Branch, 109 Remsen Street (accessible entrance from Henry Street between Montague and Remsen), Theater 2020, Brooklyn Heights’ own professional theater company, will Present “A Radio Christmas Carol”, an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ (photo) “A Christmas Carol”, by David Fuller and performed as a one hour Radio Play, complete with Foley Artist sound effects. The performance will last one hour. Admission is free. “This event includes some light holiday treats and is a lovely holiday event for the whole family, ages 6 years and up.”

Your correspondent was deeply saddened, on arriving for his and his wife’s (this time joined by some neighbors) usual Friday night dinner at the Chip Shop, to find at the top of the extensive beers, ales, and ciders menu a note that the place would close at the end of this weekend, having lost its lease. I returned today to enjoy one last Full English Breakfast and the company of others who had been regulars there, as well as some I hadn’t met before, and of long time bartender Liz Drobits (photo).

Atlantic Avenue has lost one other watering hole. Last weekend, as I was walking past, I saw a notice in the window of the empty (on a Saturday afternoon) Roebling Inn, announcing that its last night was the Friday before. Atlantic has thus lost two venues in which fans of English Premier League football (soccer to us Yanks) could gather to cheer their favorites: London’s Arsenal club at the Chip Shop; Liverpool at Roebling.

Reader Haley Geftman-Gold has notified us, on OTW, that the space at the northeast corner of Montague and Henry, above Pinto, formerly occupied by Vegetarian Ginger, is being taken by a chain called Otto’s Tacos. Reader Jorale-man has helpfully given us a link to their menu. There’s another interesting development taking place at 76 Montague, the former Friend of a Farmer location, that’s hardly a secret anymore, but our Teresa Genaro, who has the inside track on this, will be posting about it soon.

As previously reported, the Office of District Planning introduced two proposals on October 12th to “split” P.S. 8 from M.S. 8. Currently, the schools are located at two sites but share a budget, Principal and other essential personnel and services. During testimony at two joint public hearings, the plans received praise from teachers, parents and administrators alike including now retired Principal, Seth Phillips and D13 CEC President, Ayanna Behin. The Panel for Education Policy (PEP) approved the plans in a unanimous vote on Wednesday night.

THE SKINNY:

Effective Fall 2019, the change ostensibly divides the two-sited K-8 school into two independent entities. P.S. 8 (The Robert Fulton School) will continue under the leadership of current Principal, Trish Peterson and serve K-5 students. Also effective Fall 2019 but under new leadership, M.S. 8 (located at the Westinghouse Campus) will be known as K915 and serve grades 6-8.

The renaming affords the middle school its own budget, a dedicated Principal and Parent Coordinator and the flexibility to serve it’s population’s specific needs. The middle school will also expand to four classes for 6th grade and admissions priority for P.S. 8 students will end (with the exception of current P.S. 8 4th and 5th grade students).

NEXT STEPS:

The desire is for K915 to be a continuation and expansion of the “exploration” work currently happening at M.S. 8. Exploration is defined as a “two-week interdisciplinary [opportunity for students] to deeply study one essential question, and use the resources of New York City and their community to create and present culminating projects.”

In the coming weeks, a working group will be established to determine the vision and scope of the “new” school. This working group will liaise directly with the DOE’s Office of New Schools and other D13 stakeholders to carefully craft the school’s next steps.

EDIT: The new middle school was edited to reflect the correct name K915.

]]>http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/87566/feed0Why Does New York Make It So Hard to Vote? Find Out Tonight!http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/87560 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/87560#commentsTue, 27 Nov 2018 15:21:55 +0000http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=87560Ever wonder why New York makes it so hard to vote?* Do you think automatic voter registration just makes common sense? Do you dream of the day you can vote by mail in your sweatpants? Voting Rights/Reform groups Let NY Vote and Common Cause are hosting a free “People’s Hearing” on election reform tonight at 7pm at the First Unitarian Congregational Society on Pierrepont street. They are encouraging people to come by and share their opinions (and you know you have opinions). City Council Member Jumaane Williams is expected to make an appearance. It’s unclear what the end result of this meeting is supposed to be, but at least you can have a good shout!

This Saturday evening, December 1 at 8:00, at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, Clinton and Montague streets (enter from Clinton) the String Orchestra of Brooklyn, which delights in its acronym, will present Gustav Mahler’s great Fourth Symphony, with its vocal part performed by soprano Lauren Michelle (photo), winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. You may purchase tickets here.

As reported by the Eagle’s Mary Frost, representatives of the Brooklyn Heights Association met with Polly Trottenberg, Commissioner of the City’s Department of Transportation, and DOT engineers, to urge DOT to consider alternatives to a plan that would close the Brooklyn Heights Promenade for a minimum of six years and replace it with a six lane elevated highway. The BHA presented an “alternative plan conceived by Marc Wouters Studios, a Heights-based architect-urban planning firm. The Wouters design would move traffic to a temporary two-level structure west of the existing triple cantilever, as opposed to DOT’s six-lane highway on the Promenade.”

was receptive to having her engineers analyze Marc’s concept and for a later meeting with them to enable us to go into the technical aspects of the alternative proposal — what we call the Parallel Highway vs. DOT’s Promenade Highway. We anticipate that that meeting will occur once DOT has done a preliminary analysis.

According to the Eagle story, local elected officials, including State Senator Brian Kavanagh, Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, City Council Member Stephen Levin, and Borough President Eric Adams have shown interest in this matter.

No, not the socks that went missing in the laundry. The Montague Street BID is celebrating Small Business Saturday this coming Saturday, November 24 from noon to 2:00 PM by collecting new socks, which are the item of clothing least donated to and most needed by the homeless. If you donate, you may take a selfie with an elf for free. Montague Street merchants “will offer special discounts, complimentary treats and holiday cheer, free gifts with purchase, and more.” There’s more information here>.

The Heights and Hills Community Council is serving its annual Thanksgiving Feast for Seniors on Thursday at Grace Church, and needs as many pies as possible. Seconds, even thirds, on pie are always in demand. If you can bake a pie, or two, to feed hungry seniors at this event, you will bring them much joy. Please bring your pie or pies to Grace Church, 254 Hicks Street, between Grace Court and Joralemon, during the day on Wednesday or on Thursday morning no later than 11:00. Your generosity and baking talent will be greatly appreciated.

Volunteers are also sought to help decorate for the event. If you can be at Grace Church to help on Wednesday between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM, please contact Grace’s Parish Administrator, Christian DeRuiter, at parishoffice@gracebrooklyn.org or Amy Rowland at amyrowland@gmail.com

Are you a business or an artisan/freelancer/hobbyist/pedlar looking for a venue to sell your crafts and wares to actual humans in the neighborhood that doesn’t involve a certain monopolistic corporate entity bent on owning us all? You’re in luck! The Annual PS8/MS8 Holiday Market is this December 1st, and they are still looking for vendors (sign up here):

Calling all creatives! Are you someone with a craft/artisanal product you’d like to sell? Starting a business and want to showcase your product to the neighborhood? PS8/MS8 is looking for vendors for their annual Holiday Market. The event will held on Saturday, December 1st from 12pm – 4pm – registration for vendors is open now and can be accessed via this link.

This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend. There will be crafts and fun for the kids, great shopping for the adults, and lots of delicious food! Hope to see you there!

The Danish Seamen’s Church, 102 Willow Street (near Clark) will hold its annual Julemarked (“Christmas Market”) tomorrow, Saturday, November 17 (it’s always held the weekend before Thanksgiving, allowing you to get some shopping done before Black Friday) from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. At the church you may purchase “unique scandinavian design, knitware, gift items, holiday ornaments, danish candy, and traditional food products for the Christmas Dinner.” In the church’s backyard you may

bite into delicious “æbleskiver” (puffed apple pancakes) – a traditional christmas treat that all Danes give out at any social gathering through the holidays, and sip on hot glögg – the Danes’ take on the mulled wine.

For more substantial fare, there will be a restaurant at Plymouth Church, 57 Orange Street,

will dish out Danish traditional fresh baked goods, a variety of open-faced sandwiches known as “smørrebrød”, hot dogs, and risalamande – a traditional Danish rice dessert served at the Christmas dinner.

This coming weekend, from 9:30 PM Friday, November 16 to 5:00 AM Monday, November 19 there will be no service in either direction at the 4/5 platforms at Borough Hall, as 4 trains are originating and terminating at Bowling green in Manhattan, and 5 trains do not serve Brooklyn on weekends. Alternative service will be provided by 2 and 3 trains. On the positive side, there will be extra service in both directions at Court Street, as N trains will be diverted to the R line all weekend.

The following Thanksgiving week from 9:30 PM to 5:00 AM Monday to Tuesday and Tuesday to Wednesday nights there will be no service in either direction at Clark Street or at the 2/3 platforms at Borough Hall. 4 trains provide alternative service.

For planned service changes that may affect travel on other parts of the system, either during the weekend or the following week, and for unplanned disruptions, see MTA Info.

The Brooklyn Heights Association has announced that they have scheduled a meeting with City Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and DOT engineers on Monday, November 19 at which BHA “will press DOT to abandon the 6-lane highway on the Promenade in favor of a better approach to rebuilding the BQE.”

The BHA has retained engineering consultants to evaluate alternatives to DOT’s plan and assess ways to reduce traffic on the BQE during the construction period. Their expertise will greatly assist the BHA in showing DOT that viable alternatives exist and warrant its consideration.

The change in control of the State Senate following last week’s election, the BHA notes, may

pave the way for passage of a long-delayed congestion pricing plan that would place tolls on the East River crossings. This measure would reduce traffic on the BQE, making alternative construction approaches more feasible and mitigating their environmental impacts. With this new political opportunity, the BHA will advocate for the passage of this congestion pricing plan.

Posters (photo) and buttons are available for free at the Brooklyn Women’s Exchange, 55 Pierrepont Street, and at the Montague Key Food. To help finance the BHA’s efforts to save the Promenade, you may donate to their BQE Fund here. You don’t have to be a BHA member to contribute.

On Friday evening, November 9 at 7:00 and Sunday afternoon, November 11 at 3:00, the Grace Chorale of Brooklyn, under the direction of Jason Asbury, along with the St. Ann’s School High School Chorus and Consort, baritone Peter Kendall Clark, and soprano Morissa Pepose, will present “Musica Mystica,” a concert including “O frondens virga” by the twelfth century German mystic Hildegard von Bingen, the “Requiem” by the French composer Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924), and “Five Mystical Songs” by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958). The concerts will be held at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, Clinton and Montague streets (enter from Clinton). There’s more information and you may buy tickets here.

Sorry for the very late notice. Brooklyn Heights Synagogue has invited all friends and neighbors, of whatever faith or belief, to show solidarity with their congregation, the American Jewish Committee, and all Jews by attending Shabbat service at the Synagogue this Saturday morning, November 3, at 10:30. Brooklyn Heights Synagogue is located at 131 Remsen Street, between Clinton and Henry. More information here.

The Brooklyn Heights Association has sent us an update on efforts to have the City’s Department of Transportation to pursue alternatives to replacing the Brooklyn Heights Promenade for a period of at least six years with a temporary elevated six lane highway carrying heavy truck and auto traffic. The BHA has worked with Save the Promenade, now renamed A Better Way NYC, to “submit Freedom of Information Act (FOIL) Requests to DOT this week to gain access to information that will help us persuade the City that the Promenade Highway makes no sense and alternatives can be devised that will be far preferable.” A meeting scheduled between the BHA and DOT has been postponed to allow DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and local elected officials to attend. “The BHA also met with [State] Senator [Brian] Kavanagh and Assemblymember [Jo Anne] Simon last week, and Councilmember [Stephen] Levin the week before, to apprise them of our activities, discuss alternative solutions, and explore what role the State and other agencies can and should play.”

The BHA is “looking for and speaking with various technical consultants who can contribute to our efforts to evaluate other options and to assist in the analysis of environmental concerns.” If you wish to assist in this effort, as well as in The BHA’s overall campaign to oppose the highway, you may donate to the BHA’s BQE Fund here. You do not have to be a BHA member to donate.

The BHA has made posters opposing the highway plan which are free and available at the Brooklyn Women’s Exchange, 55 Pierrepont Street. In addition to the extensive media coverage this issue has already received, there will be a story in the Wall Street Journal on November 6.

]]>http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/87407/feed2Hateful Halloween: Garden Place Vandalized With Swastikashttp://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/87402 http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/87402#commentsWed, 31 Oct 2018 19:18:18 +0000http://brooklynheightsblog.com/?p=87402For those who haven’t heard yet, Garden Place – the street where everyone takes their kids for tricks and treets today – was vandalized last night with badly (and incorrectly) drawn swastikas, and the n-word (because why not just throw that in there, too). It’s shocking, but this isn’t the firsttimethis has happened in Brooklyn Heights. According to the NYPD via Gothamist, “there have been a total of 142 anti-Semitic hate crimes reported this year, up from 126 at this time in 2017. It appears that 26 of those incidents occurred in the last three weeks alone. ”

HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT?: While this news may come as a surprise to the public, it is not for the parents of current P.S. 8/M.S. 8 students. The topic of a “school split” has been under discussion both informally and formally within the school community prior to the departure of now retired Principal, Seth Phillips. In a recent communique to middle school parents the PTA Leadership explained, “after many school-wide conversations, our School Leadership Team (comprised of lower and middle school parents and teachers, as well as our principal)” informed the DOE in June 2018 of their support for the split citing “a variety of reasons including focus, funding, and vision.”

WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN?: As a K-8 school, currently P.S.8 has one budget and one administration but is housed at two sites. The Lower School (referred to as K008) is located on Hicks Street (K-5) and the M.S. 8 Middle School (6-8) resides at the George Westinghouse High School building on Tech Place (referred to as K580). Per the DOE, “If both proposals are approved by the PEP [Panel for Education Policy], [a] beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, P.S. 8 will only serve students in grades K-5 in building K008 and will no longer serve students in grades 6-8 in K580 or exist as a middle school option. [b] If both proposals are approved, the new district middle school will open in the space previously occupied by [M.S. 8] in K580 and serve approximately 255-285 students in grades 6-8 beginning in the 2019-2020 school year.

NEXT STEPS: First, there is an opportunity for families both immediately and directly impacted by these changes to have a conversation with the DOE’s Office of District Planning to have their specific questions answered at a Community Meeting on Tuesday.

If you are not able to attend any of these scheduled meetings, you may provide written or oral comments via email at D13Proposals@schools.nyc.gov -OR- by calling DOE Office of District Planning’s, Will Candell at 212-374-0208. Written and oral comment on these proposals will be accepted from October 11, 2018 through November 27, 2018 at 6:00 p.m.

Should the proposals be approved, a working group will be created to collaborate directly with the DOE’s Office of New Schools and the larger D13 community to craft the school’s vision and best practices on how to support and nurture that vision.

From 6:00 to 9:00 this Wednesday – Halloween! – evening, the Brooklyn Historical Society will present “Boos in the Borough: a Brooklyn Historical Halloween,” which will be “an evening of Halloween hijinks” featuring guest speakers, and “a contest for the title of Best Dressed Ghoul in Brooklyn!” The event is free, but you must register, and there are more details, here.

Just like last weekend, this weekend, from 9:45 PM Friday, October 26 to 5:00 AM Monday, October 29 there will be no service in either direction at the 4/5 platforms at Borough Hall, as 4 trains are terminating and originating at Brooklyn Bridge station Manhattan, and 5 trains don’t serve Brooklyn on weekends. Use 2, 3, R or N trains for service to or from Manhattan, and into Brooklyn. 3 trains will be making 4 stops to and from New Lots Avenue.

The following work week, Monday, October 29 to Thursday, November 1, each night from 9:45 PM to 5:00 AM there will be no service in either direction at Clark Street or at the 2/3 platforms at Borough Hall. Use 4, R, or N trains as options. During these same late night hours each night there will be no Manhattan bound service at High Street, as A and C trains to Manhattan will be diverted to the F line between Jay Street and West 4th Street. Use Manhattan bound 2, 3, 4, Q (see below) R, or N trains as options. Each early morning, 12:01 to 5:00 AM, Tuesday, October 30 to Friday, November 2 there will be extra service in both directions at Court Street and at Jay Street, as Q trains are being diverted to the R/N line during those hours. Happy Halloween!

For planned service changes that may affect travel on other parts of the system, either during the weekend or the following week, and for unplanned disruptions, see MTA Info.

None other than Mrs. Fink herself was a victim of a dangerous veggie dump out of a window at the St. George dorms on Henry St. this past weekend. Mrs. Fink posted on social media on Sunday at about 1:30 p.m.:

So this just happened- walking home from errands/haircuts and some ass from the dorms dumped a bucket of veg from a high floor all over us. Whatever that eggplant looking thing is? Was whole before it whacked my (bad)wrist. Then tomatoes etc. My wrist is killing me. Can’t imagine if there had been a newborn… I’m spitting mad.

This writer personally witnessed the swelling and bruising on Mrs. Fink’s wrist. Young Fink, who was with Mrs. Fink at the time, could very well have been hit too. Couldn’t be the mad soda can bomber or the yogurt chucker from 2011, or the drunken budding scientist testing gravity by throwing down a cinder block from the roof in 2010, since surely she/he/they have graduated, probably, maybe, right?

Asked for a quote for this blog, Mrs. Fink, the best in the biz of one-liners, said, “Eggplant shouldn’t bite back. What did salad ever do to them? I thought vegetarians were pacifists. And what, no dressing?”

But seriously, someone, someone’s baby, someone’s sweet grandma, someone’s child whose parents are paying a ton for plush student housing! could have been very badly hurt.

Even a freshman is 18 or very close, and should know better, right?

Hey guys, how about you stop throwing deadly objects out the window and maybe, oh I don’t know, VOTE?

In a service this afternoon at which The Right Reverend Lawrence Provenzano, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island (which includes Brooklyn and Queens, as Long Island geographically does) officiated, The Reverend Doctor Allen Robinson was instituted as the fifteenth rector of Grace Church, which has stood on Hicks Street between Grace Court and Joralemon Street since 1847. The service was attended by many Grace parishioners, as well as by local clergy of many faiths and Episcopal clergy from throughout the Diocese. There was also a delegation from Rev. Robinson’s former church, St. James Lafayette Square in Baltimore, along with The Right Reverend Robert Wright, Episcopal Bishop of Atlanta.Rev. Robinson and his family were warmly welcomed by the congregation.

If it’s late October, that must mean it’s World SeriesOktoberfestReadathon almost Halloween! The annual Pierrepont Park Halloween Parade will be happening next Saturday, October 27th, at around 10:30 am, so come on down with all your ghouls, goblins, and Joe Lhotas. During and after the parade, there will be food and refreshments for sale. Enjoy this little neighborhood tradition before they ram a highway through it!

As the President of the Board of Governors of the Brooklyn Heights Association, I was stunned to read the Crain’s report that Mayor de Blasio supports the New York City Department of Transportation’s so-called ‘Innovative’ approach to the reconstruction of the BQE.

At a time when the BHA has been trying to meet again with the DOT to urge serious consideration of alternatives to its two proposals, the Mayor makes it clear that the City does not care to hear our community’s opinion.

We certainly agree that the rehabilitation of the BQE is necessary and urgent and we are willing, as a neighborhood, to share the pain.

But the Mayor’s reference to the DOT’s alternative plan as a Band-Aid approach is condescending and dismissive of the very real consequences to Brooklyn Heights of an approach that would place six lanes of highway traffic in close proximity to an historic district and its almost two-centuries-old buildings.

We truly think there are other options to be considered and the City needs to meet with us as soon as possible to discuss these.

The BHA urges local residents and anyone concerned with the preservation of the Promenade to support Save the Promenade and to email the Mayor’s representative to Brooklyn Heights, Mr. Daniel Abramson, at dabramson@cityhall.nyc.gov

he uncovers the fraught history of one of our most prevalent ingredients: sugar. From its role in catalyzing colonialism and slave trading, to its current contributions to health crises, Walvin delivers this history without any sugar coating.